


we built this house on memories

by Hazloveshisboo, mediocregrace



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel is Claire Novak's Parent, Castiel is Jack Kline's Parent, Dean Winchester is Claire Novak's Parent, Dean Winchester is Jack Kline's Parent, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:07:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29814411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hazloveshisboo/pseuds/Hazloveshisboo, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mediocregrace/pseuds/mediocregrace
Summary: Dean groaned as he finally arrived home after a long day at work - he even had to stay late, something he was not planning on. It was Friday, he was ready for his weekend.He swung open the front door, calling out for Cas, figuring both his kids would be too engrossed in their own activities to care if their dad was home.“In the kitchen!” Cas replied, and Dean made the short trek through the living room. He frowned when he saw Cas. His husband was facing away from him, but on his shoulders were the straps to Jack’s old carrier - something they hadn’t used in almost four years.“Cas what the hell are you wearing that old thing for? I know we’re registered foster parents but…” Dean trailed off as Cas turned around and there, sitting in the pouch of the carrier, was a raccoon.---the one where, sometimes a family is two married men, their children, and an injured baby raccoon
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 9
Kudos: 71
Collections: Petunia Cinematic Universe





	we built this house on memories

**Author's Note:**

> this is a love letter to two things we love:  
> -raccoons, who are the most majestic and beautiful creatures in existence  
> -our wonderful friends in the larriehellercule

Claire stumbled into the kitchen, never one for waking up early. Cas smiled sympathetically, understanding the feeling well. He extended a mug of tea towards her, already sweetened with honey gathered from their hives. 

“Thanks, Dad,” she said gratefully, accepting the mug in one hand and rubbing at her eyes with the other. She sat down at the table, scrolling through her phone for a few moments while Cas prepared some oatmeal for her. He cut up some strawberries and bananas, arranging them into the shape of a smiley face for her. She let out a laugh when he set it down, though Cas knew she was getting too old for things like that. 

“I’m going to go see if Jack needs any help getting ready,” Cas said, pressing a kiss to the top of Claire’s head, “I’ll be right back.” 

Cas walked into Jack’s room and helped him button up his jeans,”Are you ready for school, Jack?”

Jack sighed, as if somehow, at 5 years old, he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, “Do I  _ have _ to go?”

Cas chuckled, holding up Jack’s coat so he could slip his arms into it, “I’m afraid you do, I’m sorry.” 

Jack groaned, but didn’t say more, so Cas took his hand and led him into the kitchen for breakfast. Once Jack saw Claire, he plopped down on the chair beside her, pestering her with questions. Despite the 11-year age gap, the two of them were best friends, and Cas couldn’t help but smile at the way she good-naturedly fielded all of Jack’s questions, even though she absolutely loathed being awake in the morning. 

At Jack’s request, Cas set a bowl of dry Cheerios in front of him, accompanied by a glass of orange juice. 

“Did Dad go to work early this morning?” Claire asked, turning to speak with Cas. 

“Yes, he wanted to finish off the car he’s working on so that he had time to get lunch with Sam.”

The kids finished up with breakfast, and after Cas kissed each of them on the head, they were off to school, hand in hand so Claire could ensure that Jack wouldn’t run off into traffic, and Cas was alone in the house once more. He busied himself with tidying up a bit - knowing he wouldn’t want to do it after work - and set off on the short walk to the nature center he worked at. 

He flipped on the lights, illuminating the small gift shop area, before moving into the main room of the center - decorated with various animal pelts and skeletons, housed there for educational purposes. He walked up to the large fish tank that spanned the length of the wall, taking a moment to admire the fish he and his high school intern - and Claire’s girlfriend - Kaia had raised. He sprinkled a generous amount of food into the tank, and then walked over to the main desk, reviewing his schedule for the day. He had a few meetings, one with the local river conservation society and another with some people at the high school, regarding a presentation he was going to give to one of their biology classes. 

Once his meeting with the river conservation society was over, he grabbed a quick snack and started on the walk to the high school. He walked along the river path at a leisurely pace, enjoying the time outside as he always had. When he entered the high school main office to let them know that he was there for his meeting, he was surprised to see a familiar face sitting in one of the chairs, red-faced. 

“Claire?” he asked, eyebrows furrowing with concern, “Are you sick?” 

Claire let out a bitter laugh, “Apparently.” 

He sat down beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder, “What’s going on?” 

She rolled her eyes, looking upwards so that tears didn’t spill over. She paused for a second, collecting herself, “My English teacher told me…” he voice wavered briefly, “She said I was going to Hell for being queer.” 

“ _ Excuse me?” _ Cas said, incredulous, “She said that?”

Claire nodded, “She saw us together in the hallway before class, and she said if I didn’t stop kissing girls, I would go to Hell. I…” she bit her lip, “Told her that I would see her there.” 

Cas nodded, “I’m sorry that she said that to you. That is so inappropriate. Are you okay?”

Instead of answering, she fell into his arms, sniffling. He rubbed her shoulders, silently trying to calm himself down so that he didn’t seek out the teacher to fight her himself. At that moment, the principal walked out to call Claire into his office. 

“I was here for another meeting,” Cas said to the principal, “But I think I’m going to be joining her for this,” he turned toward the secretary, “I’m sorry, could you tell the biology teachers that I’m going to need to reschedule? I’m sorry about this.” 

The secretary nodded, so Cas and Claire walked into the principal’s office together. 

“So,” the principal began, “I heard that you used some profanity when speaking with a teacher, after she told you that you needed to be in class.”

“No,” Claire replied, glaring, “She told me to stop being fucking gay, and I told her I’d see her in Hell.” 

Cas patted her knee, trying to calm her down, but he knew her anger was well-earned. “I think,” Cas spoke up, “Claire and her girlfriend were in the hallway during the passing period, and the teacher saw them together, and made a rude comment about my daughter’s sexuality.”

“This is all a misunderstanding,” the principal said, “We just discourage any and all PDA. It’s not appropriate for anyone to act like that in the hallway.” 

“Well,” Cas said, standing up and pulling Claire with him, “Make sure that this kind of  _ misunderstanding _ doesn’t happen again. I would hate for this to become a matter for the ACLU.” 

With that, Cas and Claire walked out of the principal’s office, and into the main office area. Cas turned to Claire, “Are you okay to stay, or do you want me to pull you out for the rest of the day?” 

Claire pondered for a moment, sending a text to Kaia before answering, “Can we leave? I’m just really fucking upset right now.” 

Cas nodded, pulling her in for a hug, “Let’s go get some ice cream or something before we have to go meet Jack, okay?”

***

Once Cas and the kids arrived home from school, Dean could feel the tension immediately and sent Claire and Jack outside to the backyard, turning to Cas with wide eyes. “What happened?” he asked, hands on his hips. 

“There was an incident at the school,” Cas said simply, sitting at one of the old chairs at the kitchen table. “Claire’s school. She was standing in the hall with Kaia between classes and one of her teachers saw the two of them and decided that they were being inappropriate.” 

“What did she say? The teacher, I mean,” Dean asked, taking a deep breath to keep himself calm. 

“She told Claire she was going to Hell if she did not stop kissing girls,” Cas sighed and looked up at Dean. “And Claire told her she would meet her there. The teacher proceeded to send Claire to the office for that.” 

“She what?!” Dean shouted and began frantically looking for his keys. “I’m gonna fucking kill her.” 

“Dean, I am afraid you cannot do that,” Cas said, standing to grab Dean’s keys from the counter where they were laying. 

“And why the fuck shouldn’t I kill the bitch that told my daughter she’s going to Hell for being gay?” Dean asked sharply, turning his glare on Cas, though they both knew it was never meant for him. 

“It would cause a scandal,” Cas deadpanned. “And frankly, I don’t want to deal with the whispering and gossip.” 

“Did she get fired at least?” Cas shook his head with a roll of his eyes. “Then I’ll kill the fucking principal!” 

“That would only cause a bigger scandal,” Cas dropped Dean’s keys into his pocket and pulled his husband close. “And you might end up in prison. I don’t want to have to visit you in prison. I doubt they would grant us conjugal visits.” 

“Alright, you’ve convinced me,” Dean leaned his head against Cas’ shoulder, letting out a huff. “But if the opportunity ever arises…” 

“I’ll make sure to have an alibi ready,” Cas said with a laugh, kissing the side of Dean’s head. 

“How is Claire?” 

“She’s upset. Mad, of course, especially when the principal refused to discipline her teacher at all,” Cas explained, tilting his head slightly as Dean raised his own up to look at his husband. 

“I would be too. I am pissed, but Claire won’t want us getting involved too much. She would hate if I showed up to give that teacher a piece of mind,” Dean said, taking Cas’ hand in his. “How’s Kaia?” 

“She’s alright. Not as angry as Claire, but that’s expected. I called her foster mother on the way home to explain the situation and she seemed just as angry as you are,” Cas said and looked out the large window over the table into the backyard where Claire was playing with Jack on their old swing set - one that Dean had built over ten years ago when Claire was younger than Jack. “They’ll be okay. They’re strong. Claire is strong. We raised her to stand up for herself.” 

“I know, I know. But she’s my kid,” Dean sighed as he watched their two kids. “I’m always gonna worry about her.” 

“You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t,” Cas said fondly, leaning in for a chaste kiss. “Now, if we don’t get started on dinner, Jack will be in here soon complaining that he’s starving.” 

“Can’t have that. Just give those PTA moms another reason to call CPS on us,” Dean grumbled and pulled away. “I’ll take care of dinner. You go out and play with the kids.” Cas shot Dean a grateful smile before heading out the back door to join Claire and Jack. 

***

A few days after the incident with Claire’s teacher, things were still tense around the house. Both Claire and Dean were angry - they were so much alike it astounded Cas - and Jack was confused why his big sister and Dad were so mad. 

Thankfully, late Friday afternoon, before the kids got home from school and Dean from work, Cas got a call about an abandoned baby raccoon. He grabbed everything he would need from the garage, loaded it into the back of his truck, and headed to Miss Mabel’s house across town. She was sitting on her porch when he arrived, and offered him a mug of tea before he could get a word in. 

“No thank you, Miss Mabel, I’m just fine. Where is the baby raccoon?” Cas asked. 

“Around the back,” Mabel said sadly. “Near the house. I think her mama is dead in the ditch over there.” She gestured to the edge of her yard. Cas nodded. 

“I’ll get the kit and be out of your hair,” with that, Cas headed back to his truck and grabbed the old pet carrier and a pair of gardening gloves before setting off around Miss Mabel’s house. He was able to locate the kit easy enough, the young thing not putting up too much of a fight. He got it secured in the pet carrier, bid goodbye to MIss Mabel, and began driving to the nature center. There was no animal rescue he could take the kit to tonight, meaning it would have to stay with him at least until the morning - meaning he would need supplies. He brought the carrier in with him while he gathered everything, and eventually pulled the kit to check it over. 

“Well, aren’t you a cute little thing,” Cas muttered as he carefully examined it - her, he discovered - for any injuries. His breath hitched when the kit cried out when he touched her back right leg. It was most likely broken, which would mean a cast, which would mean almost no animal rescue would take her. 

  
He would just have to rehabilitate her himself, he decided. 

He made quick work of bandaging the kit’s leg, smiling in satisfaction once he was finished. “You know, since you’ll be staying with me a while, I should have something to call you…” he mused, brushing through her fur gently as he cradled her to his chest. “I think Petunia would be good. It is one of my favorite flowers.” The kit - Petunia - purred under his touch. “Yes, I think Petunia is perfect.” 

***

Dean groaned as he finally arrived home after a long day at work - he even had to stay late, something he was not planning on. It was Friday, he was ready for his weekend. 

He swung open the front door, calling out for Cas, figuring both his kids would be too engrossed in their own activities to care if their dad was home. 

“In the kitchen!” Cas replied, and Dean made the short trek through the living room. He frowned when he saw Cas. His husband was facing away from him, but on his shoulders were the straps to Jack’s old carrier - something they hadn’t used in almost four years. 

  
“Cas what the hell are you wearing that old thing for? I know we’re registered foster parents but…” Dean trailed off as Cas turned around and there, sitting in the pouch of the carrier, was a raccoon. 

“Castiel James Winchester...what the actual fuck is on your chest?” 

“Petunia,” Cas said with a smile, scratching her head gently.    
  


“Petunia?” Dean’s voice was strained and higher than he had ever heard it before. “And why is Petunia on your chest?” 

“She has a broken leg, Dean, you cannot expect me to make her walk on it,” Cas had the nerve to sound offended by Dean’s question. 

“She’s a fucking raccoon! Why is she in our house in the first place?” Dean yelled, slamming his hand on the counter. “Why the fuck did you think I would want a raccoon in the place where we live and eat and sleep?” 

“Because she has a broken leg. What was I supposed to do, leave her there to die?” Cas raised his eyebrows, looking at Dean expectantly. 

“Of course you weren’t supposed to leave her there to die but that doesn’t mean you have to bring her home!” Dean huffed and stared at the raccoon. “You have an enture fucking nature center with everything she would need.” 

“She’s too young to be left on her own for that long,” Cas said and grinned when Petunia wrapped the fingers of one of her hands around one of Cas’ fingers. “How can you say no to this face?” Cas asked, sticking his lip out in a faux pout. Dean watched them both with his mouth hanging open before finally leaving the room without another word. 

***

As Petunia grew stronger and more able to get around on her own, Dean figured that they would be able to either release her into the wild, or surrender her to a rescue that was anywhere other than inside their house. He had remained steadfast on his decision that they wouldn’t be keeping her, though both Cas and Claire had been trying to wear him down - Jack was too young to know that they were considering giving her up at all. 

Sure, he supposed that he enjoyed the raccoon’s presence enough. He could admit that she was cute, and that watching her eat crackers with her weird hands was kind of entertaining but, he was also a bit scared of her. He figured that he would talk to Cas when he got home, just to ask how much longer they would be housing the raccoon, and if he had any potential leads about anyone who could take her in. Claire and Jack walked through the front door, so Dean turned towards them excitedly, “Did you guys have a good day?” 

He received a “Fine”, from Claire, before Jack launched into a full explanation about every detail of his day. Claire walked off to her room with a wave, and Jack plopped himself down at the kitchen table next to Dean, pulling paper after crumpled paper from his backpack. One of them in particular caught his eye.

“What’s this one?” he asked, pointing it out. 

“That’s a family portrait,” Jack said excitedly, “There’s you, and me, and Claire, and Dad,” he pointed to a grey blob in the bottom, “And there’s Petunia!” 

Dean’s stomach dropped, and in that moment, he knew that Petunia wasn’t going anywhere. He wasn’t going to be the one to break Jack’s heart, even if it meant spending eternity with a damned raccoon eating his grapes and sleeping on his husband’s chest. 

***

With Claire’s soccer season getting started, Cas resumed his position on the fundraising board for the team, which meant going directly from work to the weekly evening meeting. He probably wouldn’t have minded the meetings so much if he didn’t absolutely loathe the president of the athletics fundraising department - Lisa Braeden. Without fail, every winter, she argued that  _ baseball _ , her son’s sport, was far more important than any other sport could possibly be, and therefore deserved the biggest allocation of funding. Fortunately for everyone else, the board functioned as a democracy, but it was still a persistent annoyance for Cas and several of the other parents. 

Cas wasn’t Dean, he wasn’t quite as outspoken or aggressive, and he definitely didn’t go looking for fights, but he also wasn’t one for sitting there quietly while being fucked over, so when Lisa suggested that the budget for the girls’ soccer team be reduced to ¾ of its original projection, Cas objected loudly and clearly, not leaving room for argument. 

“The girls’ team already has to do extra work just to pay for bussing to and from away games, and last year they barely made enough to cover going to state. Cutting it back by that much will just set them back even further. We absolutely cannot afford that loss. I’m sorry, but I just can’t let you do that.” 

Lisa raised her eyebrows, and huffed, “With parents like you, no wonder your daughter ended up… like that.” 

“Excuse me?” Cas said, fuming, “Do you have something to say about my daughter?” 

Lisa laughed for a moment, “I mean, I think everyone knows what’s wrong with her,” she spat. 

Cas took a deep breath, “I don’t think that’s an appropriate thing to say, and I don’t see how it’s relevant to this matter. You would be doing a disservice to the entire soccer team by cutting that budget, and in doing so, I believe you would prove yourself unfit for the position you occupy.”

With that, Cas stood up and left, knowing that if he had stayed much longer, he wouldn’t have been able to prevent himself from yelling. When walked into the house, the kitchen was empty, but he saw that Dean had left a dinner plate out for him. He popped it into the microwave and went to find his husband. He heard Dean in Jack’s bedroom, reading him a bedtime story, so he walked in to join them, for a second while his dinner reheated. 

“Dad!” Jack yelled, sitting up in bed. 

Cas leaned down to hug him, “Hey, Jack! How was your day?” 

Jack began rambling enthusiastically about everything that had happened in kindergarten that day. Cas nodded and smiled at the appropriate moments, but Dean could tell from Cas’ expression that something was wrong. 

Once Jack was done, Cas ruffled his hair, “I need to go eat my dinner now, but you have a good night, okay? I love you.”

Jack yawned, “I love you too.” 

Cas walked out the door, nodding once at Dean before closing it and heading into the kitchen. A few minutes later, Dean joined him at the kitchen, eyeing him cautiously. 

“Something happen?” Dean asked, sitting down at the table next to Cas. 

Cas sighed, “I just got into kind of an argument with Lisa Braeden.”

Dean nodded sympathetically, “Just more of the usual condescending stuff and the insistence that the world revolves around her?” 

Cas let out a slight laugh, “No, she...uh, she made a comment about Claire, actually.” 

Dean stiffened, “What did she say?” 

“That it’s no wonder she ended up ‘like that’, when she has parents like us. Like me, I guess.” 

Dean’s jaw dropped, “She genuinely -” he cut himself off, standing up, “We need wine for this conversation.”

Dean pulled out two glasses and uncorked one of the wine bottles in the refrigerator, pouring a generous amount into each glass. He took a long drink, and then sat back down at the table, pushing Cas’ glass towards him, “So, start at the beginning, what the hell made her say that?” 

Cas took a sip and then told Dean everything that had been said. He slumped back into his chair and draining the wine glass after he had finished. 

Dean shook his head, “What do you think she’s referring to? Do you really think it’s about her being gay?” 

Cas nodded, “She’s friends with Mrs. Patterson, I imagine so.” 

Dean looked down at the table for a moment, “Do you think we need to move?” he asked quietly, meeting Cas’ eyes after a moment. 

“I don’t want to,” Cas replied. They had built their house by hand, Cas almost single-handedly ran the nature center and local conservation efforts, they had built lives in town. “I think we should discuss this with Claire and see how she’s feeling. I doubt she’ll enjoy knowing that she’s been the subject of PTA mom gossip.” 

Dean sighed, pulling Cas into a hug, “We’ll figure it out.” 

***

Despite the fact that every Saturday morning, Dean moaned and groaned that they were meant to be sleeping in, he still got up and went to the local farmer’s market with Cas. It was something that was just for the two of them, which is mostly what motivated Dean out of bed every weekend. 

“I’m ready,” Dean grumbled, filling up a travel mug with coffee. He rubbed his eyes and looked over at the front door, frowning when he saw Jack’s old stroller sitting out. “Babe, what the fuck is that doing out?” 

“Oh,” Cas said when he realized what Dean was talking about. “Petunia is coming with us, but her leg is still too weak to walk that much.” 

“So we’re taking Petunia, a raccoon, to the farmer’s market...in a stroller?” Dean asked, eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. 

“Of course,” Cas said as he whistled for Petunia, who came running into the room and straight into Cas’ arms. He carefully buckled her harness over her chest and then used that to secure her into the stroller. “There, we’re ready.” 

Dean stood and stared at Petunia, watching her with narrowed eyes for a long, silent moment. “Fine,” he finally broke. “Let’s go.” The walk to the farmer’s market was not a long one, barely ten minutes, and by the time they arrived it was already packed full with almost everyone in town. Dean was reluctantly pushing the stroller, leaning on it as he walked next to Cas, listening fondly as he inspected each stall audibly. Dean did his best to ignore all the looks and glances they were getting as they walked through the market.

They already weren’t very close with anyone in the town - barring a very sweet old couple that lived down the road from them and a few other individuals - because of the gay thing, and now that they had a pet raccoon? They would be lucky if they were ever invited to anything ever again. 

Dean came to an abrupt halt when Cas stopped at Cain’s stall - an older man who kept bees. While Cas also had his own hive, he only had enough to produce what they could use as a family while Cain kept enough bees to sell the excess product. And they both loved to talk. Dean would be waiting for at least fifteen minutes. 

As Cas and Cain discussed bees and how different weather affected honey production - at least that’s what Dean guessed they were talking about based on the little bits he overheard - Dean was left to entertain Petunia. She was happy enough to people-watch with him, as long as continuously gently rocked the stroller. He offered strained smiles at anyone that was brave enough to meet his eyes, though it was very rare. 

As Dean stood with Petunia in the stroller, he felt a new appreciation for her. Before, people would try to make small talk with him even though they were obviously uncomfortable around him. Now, with Petunia, no one dared.

“Ready?” Cas asked, startling Dean a little as he placed two jars of honey into the stroller’s storage compartment. 

“Yeah, we’re ready,” Dean said, leaning in to kiss Cas briefly. “Get something new from Cain?” 

“Yes, he’s got a clover honey that I’m very excited to try,” Dean smiled fondly as Cas rambled on about the flavor profiles of the different types of honey - some days he really wasn’t sure how he got this lucky. 

***

After receiving a call about a bridge that had been knocked out by a storm, Cas hurried out of the house to help deal with the fallout, which meant that Dean’s previously empty Sunday morning was now going to be filled with raccoon physical therapy. Claire was going to spend the day with Kaia, and wasn’t expected home until dinner time, while Jack had spent the night at Sam’s. Dean had seen and helped Cas with Petunia’s physical therapy enough times, he figured it wouldn’t be impossible to manage by himself.

He filled their bathtub up part way with just enough water that Petunia would be able to swim around and exercise her injured leg better than she could out of the water. She scampered into the bathroom at the sound of the tap, waiting patiently for Dean to lift her into the tub. He placed a hand in the water to make sure that it wasn’t too hot, and when he determined that it was an acceptable temperature, he lifted her inside. Once inside, Petuna could pretty much take care of herself. Aside from getting splashed, Dean just sat beside the tub and watched Petunia swim laps in the bathtub.

When Dean was tired of kneeling and getting splashed, he pulled Petunia out of the tub, and unplugged the drain. Wrapping Petunia in a towel, he carried her into the living room, and plopped down on the couch. Still wrapped in the towel, he clutched Petunia to his chest as he flipped through the channels, finally settling on one of those baking competition shows that he secretly enjoyed. 

***

Cas sighed when he opened the door. He was soaked and muddy, covered in cuts from branches and bushes, and in desperate need of a shower. He stopped in his tracks at the sight before him. In the middle of their couch, lay his sleeping husband. Upon closer inspection, he confirmed that the bundle in his arms was their pet raccoon, also asleep. He pulled out his phone, snapping several pictures before heading into the bathroom for a quick shower. 

He was relieved that, in the time it had taken him to shower and get redressed, Dean and Petunia hadn’t stirred. Cas put his hand on Dean’s shoulder, waking him gently. Dean blinked, squinting up at Cas, “I was just… watching some tv.” 

Cas beamed, “She’s growing on you, isn’t she?”

Dean mock-glared at him, “I didn’t ask her to fall asleep on me, she just gets tired after her physical therapy.” 

Cas laughed, and looked down at his watch, “Sam should be bringing Jack home soon, do you know if Claire will be here for dinner?” 

“I don’t know. Can you text her? I don’t want to…” he gestured at the still-sleeping raccoon curled up on his chest.

Cas picked up his phone, sending off a text to Claire, before grinning at Dean, “I knew you would grow to love her as much as I do.”

Dean sighed, “It was Jack, actually. He included her in a family portrait andI just… there was no way I was going to give her up after that.” 

  
  


***

Dean yawned as he pulled himself out of bed. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table and groaned - 2:38 in the morning - he knew that last beer was a bad idea. He headed to the bathroom down the hall, rubbing his eyes as he pushed the door open and flicked the light on. 

And then he froze. 

There, hovering over the toilet bowl,  _ using it _ , was Petunia. 

“What…” Dean trailed off, staring down at the raccoon, while she stared back, the only sound permeating the room the sound of her urine hitting the water. 

He stayed for a moment longer before flipping the light off and heading back to bed. He could hold it until the morning.

***

Cas fixed the harness around Petunia’s body and then attached the matching leash. Jack had requested that for show-and-tell at school, he bring his best friend, and after getting permission from his teacher, Cas was getting ready to bring her in. 

“C’mon Petunia,” Cas said with a smile, walking out the front door with her following easily. They made the journey to Jack’s school just in time, Cas signing in before heading down the hall to the kindergarten classroom. He knocked lightly, and the teacher came over, peeking her head out the door. 

“Mr. Winchester, you’re just in time. Let me gather the kids on the rug and then I’ll call you in,” she said. Cas nodded and waited a few minutes for the teacher to get everyone ready and then she was introducing Jack and gesturing for Cas to enter. He walked in, tugging lightly at the leash to get Petunia to follow him. All the kids gasped and whispered as soon as they saw Petunia, Jack standing proudly in front of them all. 

“This is my bestest friend Petunia!” Jack beamed, Cas coming to a stop next to him. He lifted Petunia into his arms so all the kids could see her easily. “My dad brought her home cause she had a hurted leg but she’s all better now cause my dad is really good at fixing animals!” 

“Petunia has become part of our family,” Cas said simply, scratching her head. Jack nodded excitedly at that. “Would you all like to give Petunia a treat?” The kids all clammored at that and stood, their teacher lining them up quickly. Cas pulled a bag of grapes out of his pocket and let Jack give one to each of his classmates to feed to Petunia. She happily grabbed them from each child, all the kids giggling about her fingers and how she grabbed the grapes. Jack was smiling the entire time, all the other children telling him how cute Petunia was and how lucky he was to have her as a pet. 

“Alright friends, it’s time for Mr. Winchester to take Petunia home! Everyone say goodbye to the both of them!” the teacher said once every child had a chance to give Petunia a treat. Cas got Petunia to wave to the kids, all of them squealing and waving back as he left the classroom. 

***

Dean walked inside and laughed a little as Petunia greeted him at the door, holding her little arms up. He reached down and lifted Petunia into his arms, settling her in his left arm. “Babe?” he called as he walked through toward the kitchen. 

“In here!” Cas said, turning around to greet Dean with a smile. “How was your day?” 

“Good, Lisa Braeden came by, needed an inspection,” he said, sitting down at the kitchen table. 

“Oh? And how did that go?” Cas asked, raising an eyebrow as he stirred the pasta sauce on the stovetop. 

“Well, I told her she better drive her sorry ass fifty miles to the next auto shop if she wanted to treat my kid the way she and her friends do,” Dean rolled his eyes. “She did not take that well. Threatened to call CPS on us.” 

“I’m sure she did and I’m sure she might actually follow through, but you and I both know nothing will come of it,” Cas sighed. “Jack thoroughly enjoyed show-and-tell today. All the kids were very excited to meet Petunia.” 

“Good, he’s had trouble making friends, hopefully this’ll help,” Dean said. “Dinner almost ready?” 

“Yes, could you tell Claire and Jack to wash up?” Dean nodded and headed upstairs with Petunia, knocking on both kid’s doors and telling them to clean up before heading downstairs to eat. Dean did the same, Petunia even wetting her hands in a mimicry of Dean. When Dean rejoined his husband at the table, it was set for the four of them, along with Jack’s old high chair. 

“What is she eating tonight?” Dean asked as he leaned down, allowing Petunia to settle herself into the high chair. 

“I’ve made her a medley of crickets, vegetables, and nuts,” Cas said, setting the bowl down with Petunia’s food in it on the tray. 

“Babe, you know that it’s safe for her to eat, like, dog food?” Dean said, though promptly shut his mouth when Cas turned to glare at him.

“How could you...would you feed Claire dog food? Jack?” Cas asked, lips pursed and eyebrows raised. 

“Of course not,” Dean said. “I’m sorry for suggesting that.” Cas seemed placated and set down the bowl of pasta and platter of garlic bread just as Claire and Jack ran in, dropping into their seats. 

“This smells good, Dad,” Claire said. “Can I hang out with Kaia tomorrow?”

“She’s supposed to be working with me at the nature center in the morning,” Cas said pointedly, narrowing his eyes at his daughter. 

“In the afternoon then,” Claire shrugged with a smile. 

“As long as you have all your homework done,” Dean said as he made up a bowl for Jack, kissing him on the head as he sat it down. 

“It’ll do it in the morning, while she’s at the nature center,” Claire grinned and dug into her own pasta just as Jack began rambling about his day, explaining every single thing he could remember he did that day. Dean and Cas shared a look over the table - when they had gotten together all those years ago, they never imagined they would be able to have this, a home and a family. But here they were, with their kids and Petunia, making memories to last a lifetime. 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> you can follow me on tumblr @hellerjesuschrist, and Emily @hazloveshisboo <3


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